


Fire Hazard

by shinchiisanakyojin



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Armin has a huge Firemen kink, Doctor!Armin, Firefighter Kink, Firefighter!Jean, Fluff, Humor, Jean is absolutely clueless about it, M/M, Sexual Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-07-16 11:14:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7265887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinchiisanakyojin/pseuds/shinchiisanakyojin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dr. Armin Arlert is a cardiologist at Shiganshina Hospital with a serious case of commitment fear. He's working at the Emergency Room one day when an extremely attractive firefighter is admitted. Armin's mind and desires start to conflict as he finds out Jean may or may not be everything he wished for.</p><p>[TEMPORARY HIATUS]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (First and foremost I would like to tell you that I'm not a doctor, nor a firefighter. I just do long researches on the subjects, and sometimes things might be different depending on the country. So, if you see anything that doesn't match the reality, feel free to let me know and please forgive me!)
> 
> So, I wrote this story because I wanted to make something cute and (possibly) funny. I hope I can achieve that, or that at least you have fun reading! Also, I should let you know this story might contain some jokes or scenes with some description of sexual activities. It's not going to be smut or extremely explicit stuff, so I kept the M rating, but beware if this is not your cup of tea! (´ヮ`)
> 
> Have a good reading!

Armin had lost count of how many patients he had in a row. He took the file from the nurse's hands with a brief “thank you” and tried to decipher the simple words his tired eyes tried to focus on.

“Kirstein, Jean. 28. Leg, arm and head injury.”

He walked into the space the patient had been assigned to and his whole body seemed to have received a high voltage shock because he was very much awake, despite the single ten minutes nap he had taken in the last eleven and a half hours of intense work.

“Hel-” His voice was strained, so he tried again. “Hello, Mr. Kirstein. I'm Dr. Arlert and I'll be taking care of you for now, okay?”

“Hey doc.” Armin could not help noticing the most handsome patient he had ever had checking him out from head to toe.

“So, let's see what we have here...”

From the new angle he could see Jean's arm was not supporting him, but completely bent the other way. That was a great start. He rose the blanket above Jean's legs to see a bone about three inches out of he man's leg, decorated with a four inches open wound.

The only good thing about all that was the fact that it had stopped bleeding thanks to a professional first aid treatment.

“Wow. Okay, hm... Krista, would you please call Dr. Hoover? We have an exposed fracture and what seems to be a broken arm here.”

Armin asked and the nurse nodded, leaving the space.

“It says here you have a head injury as well?”

Armin had to admit he spent one or two seconds checking Jean's profile, pretending to be analyzing the small injuries before actually looking for the most severe one.

“Oh, yeah, on the back.” Jean turned around, removing the bandages that had been put over the injury.

Armin could see it was quite bad but nothing that would endanger this man's life for now, so he started the procedure to suture Jean's head.

“Okay, I have to ask. How did all of this happen?” Armin moved his hand around, indicating Jean's whole body.

“I was trying to jump from one building to another.”

_Oh God._

“I ended up slipping and...”

_Oh God._

“...Fell from a three stories building.”

“Oh God.” That last one came out by accident.

“It was fine, I _did_ grab the edge of the second building, y'know! That was until I fell and broke myself, but still...” He bragged, for some reason Armin could not grasp.

“I see. Well, congratulations. Now you'll celebrate with some morphine. How great is that?” Armin joked, asking the nurse who had just returned to apply the anesthetic as he prepared the suture needle.

“Y-You're gonna give me... Stitches?” Jean's voice weakened at that last word.

“Well, yes. Your head is, you know, open?” Armin laughed but Jean did not.

“I-I think I'll be fine. Just give me the drugs and a band-aid and I'll be fine.”

“Sir, have you _seen_ your injuries? You cannot leave this hospital without operating your leg, much less without me sewing your head.”

“No, really. It's-It's fine...” Jean looked terrified of the anesthetic needle itself.

 _Unbelievable. This guy has the guts to jump from a three stories building but is afraid of a needle._ Armin thought.

“Look, we're professionals. It won't hurt, okay? Come on, you're the guy that jumped from one building to the other!” Armin smiled and Jean seemed to calm down with the compliment.

The nurse applied the anesthetic and Armin tried his best to talk to the man, in order to keep him at ease.

“So, want to fill me in on why on Earth were you trying this?”

“Well, it was not like I wanted this. It was a work thing.”

“Oh. I see.” Armin did his best to compose himself as his eyes lowered to Jean's pants for a second.

Ever since Armin's sexual awakening something about firemen attracted him in a way he could not explain. If anyone asked why this started, he could not answer. He just liked it. Something about a strong man, wearing red suspenders and thick coats, carrying someone — Or him, in all his fantasies — to safety made a shiver run up his spine.

“That's pretty amazing. Just don't move, alright?” Armin gently held Jean's head and gently turned it to the front.

“Sorry.” Jean went back to his original position, trying to focus on his previous subject. “Hm... So, anyway, at least I look cool now, huh?”

“Oh yeah, that bone coming out of your legs is a real chick magnet.” Armin mocked.

“Damn. Too bad I prefer cocks.”

Armin stopped suturing at the very second those words came out of Jean's mouth. There was the most awkward silence for about five seconds before Jean turned his head hard enough to make the needle escape the needle driver.

“Holy shit, I'm sorry. That sounded so much better in my head. I meant-! I meant cock, as-! The animal. You know, because they're male and-... Fuck!” Jean covered his face with his hand.

“I-It's fine, but seriously, don't move. I'm trying to sew your head over here.” Armin turned Jean's face away from him once again and returned to his job. No damage done. This guy definitely had he best guardian angel.

 

\----------------------

 

Two days later, Armin was leaving the hospital after his shift as he spotted Jean, in a wheelchair, being pushed by a well-built man.

“Why, hello there, Mr. Kirstein. How are you feeling?” Armin approached them with a smile.

“Very well, actually. Brand-new.” Jean replied.

“I can see that.” Armin mocked, seeing how Jean had his leg and arm protected by bandages. “I'm glad to see the surgery was a success. I hope you have a fine recovery.”

“Thanks. Oh, right! This is the guy that took care of me earlier.” Jean told the silent man behind him. “Dr. Arlert, this is Marco, my friend and co-worker.”

“I don't support his crazy decisions. Please don't report me to the Child Services.” Marco awkwardly joked, extending his hand.

Marco was not Armin's type, but he could easily be if he had been wearing the pants and red suspenders. Armin had to focus on Marco's adorable face to void looking down. He did not want to have to explain why his eyes were glued to someone's pants.

“I'll think about it.” Armin chuckled, giving him a hand shake. “Anyway, I have to go now. I would like to say 'See you later', but in my line of work I never hope to see anyone twice.”

“Oh, you'll definitely see me again, doc.” Jean laughed and shook Armin's hand as well.

Something about that made Armin quite satisfied as he left the hospital. For some reason that man was stuck in his head the whole way.

Armin went back home and took a shower. He ate the leftovers of Chinese food he had inside his fridge and fell on the bed. Working twelve hours in a row was not easy for anyone, much less for those working at the Emergency Room in days like the that. The last two shifts had been insanely intense and he was absolutely exhausted, so it took less than a minute for him to drift into sleep.

 

\----------------------

 

The next day was sunny. One of those days in which everyone is at the beach. Armin's alarm clock woke him up around noon. He groaned and pressed the snooze button about three times before finally deciding to get up.

Armin worked all night, which meant his days were spent sleeping and he had less than two night hours to enjoy before heading to work. No social life could survive that, even with his days off. So he made sure to at least eat lunch with one of his friends almost everyday.

He changed, took his packed lunch from the fridge and headed to the beach. He approached the life-guard stand and spotted his friend sitting on it.

“Hey, Ymir.” Armin could still feel the sleepiness in his voice.

“Oh, if it isn't Armin! Still sleeping?” She replied.

“Yeah. Tanning?” Armin joked, pulling out the recipient with his food.

“I wish.” She let out a breath.

“Have you eaten?”

“Not yet.” She said and picked up a sandwich from her bag.

Armin opened the recipient and took a small fork from his bag, sitting on the sand to eat it. Though it seemed like a relaxing time, Armin still felt his body aching with the stress and exhaustion from the night before. He usually had lunch with Eren, at the Police Station near his house, but today he felt like going somewhere less stressful.

“So, what's new?” He asked.

“Hm, not much. I mean, people can't swim, but they _wanna_ swim, so I have to take their wet asses out of the water and scold them. You know, the usual.”

“I wish I knew what 'usual' mea-”

Before Armin could finish, Ymir swallowed her food and blew on her whistle.

“Sir, please do not leave your child unattended!” She shouted and faked a smile at the angry man, who was focused on checking his phone instead of his two year old son. “Sorry, you were saying?”

“...That sometimes I wish my job was 'usual'.” Armin proceeded, already used to Ymir's shouting when they were on the beach. “Oh, speaking of unusual, last night some guy came in because he was trying to jump from one building to another. Completely broke himself. I had to send him to the orthopedist to fix his leg and arm. His bone was about this much out of his leg.”

Armin showed Ymir the size with both his index fingers.

“Oh my God. Why do people do this?”

“Apparently it's part of his work.” Armin explained and he could almost see Ymir stiffening from his peripheral vision.

“Which is...?” She turned around slowly.

“...Firefighter.” Armin almost whispered that word.

“Oh. My. God. Did you fuck?” Ymir was so interested she almost fell from her chair.

“Of course not! Are you insane?” Armin blushed.

“But you totally wanted to, didn't you?”

“Ymir!” Armin shouted.

Ymir laughed hard and Armin's cheeks turned a few tones redder.

"Oh my God. It's like a porn movie written by you! 'Hey doc. Come here so I can put out that fire inside you.'." Ymir mocked, making a weird impersonation.

“You know what, if you excuse me, I'm done eating, so I'll go back to my bed.” Armin got up to leave.

“Yeah, go to bed. Have sweet dreams about Mr. Fireman.” Ymir mocked.

Armin turned, ready to say something, but he could not. The image of Jean, in uniform, in Armin's bed was stuck to his mind.

“Jesus fuck, go to sleep before you dirty my beach.”

“I'm not that horny and it's not your beach.” Armin left, his cheeks blushing violently.

He made sure to take a deep breath and take that stupid smile of his face as he got on the bus and went back to the house.

 

\----------------------

 

Armin's birthday was about five months later. He met with his friends around six to celebrate and relax a little before work. They met at a pizza place near the hospital, so he and Krista could walk together.

“What are we waiting for?” Ymir asked, sipping on the soda she shared with her girlfriend, Krista.

“Eren.” Mikasa, one of Armin's best friends, replied.

“This guy is always late. I mean, you're in the police too and you still get places on time.” Ymir said.

Mikasa said nothing, but smiled. Eren arrived five minutes later, carrying a small package.

“Hi, sorry I'm late.” Eren said, greeting each friend briefly. “Got held up in a case. Really bad, let's not talk about it.”

“Yes, today is about Armin. Happy birthday.” Mikasa said after Eren sat by her side.

“Thank you, Mikasa.” Armin smiled.

Mikasa passed the package Eren had brought to Armin and he opened it. There was a nice pair of snickers inside.

“Since you won't buy a pair for yourself, we're giving you one.” Mikasa told him.

“Guys, you didn't have to. This must have been expensive.”

“It's better than you complaining about your feet hurting.” Eren mocked.

“I'm sorry for that.” Armin smiled. “Thank you.”

Krista was next. She gave Armin a book he had wished to read for over a month. Armin thanked and hugged her. Ymir had a sly smile as she handed Armin a thin package. It reminded Armin of a book, but it was too large and thin to be anything an adult would read. Armin opened it and noticed a tanned six-pack on the cover.

“Oh my God!” Armin blushed violently and hid the present under the table. “What _is_ that?”

“Just open it properly and you'll know.” Ymir said.

“I don't want to open it here!”

“Just open it. I wanna know too!” Eren said. “I couldn't even see what it was.”

Armin sighed, ripping the rest of the wrapping paper. An unwanted chill ran up his spine as he read 'Firefighters Calendar 2016', along with a gorgeous fireman, posing with an ax.

“Holy shit, this guy is hot.” Eren said.

“This is so inappropriately appropriate.” Mikasa ler out a chuckle, pulling the calendar closer to her and Eren.

“It's great, isn't it? We get to see hot people, which is never bad. Some charity gets money and our good friend here can jerk off until his dick falls off.”

“Ymir! I am not-I don't-I just-” Armin's cheeks could not be more flushed.

“Nice one, Ymir.” Eren gave her a high-five and sat back.

The waiter came to take their order and Armin put his gifts away on his backpack. He would throw it away as soon as he got home.

Or so he told himself. In the end, he could not. He stared at the cover, he got closer to the trashcan, he took a deep breath and hid it under a few clothes in his cabinet.

 

\----------------------

 

It was a month later that Armin met Jean again. It was half an hour after his shift and his substitute had not arrived yet, so Armin was covering for him. He walked into the Emergency Room, and there was Jean, sitting on the stretcher discussing with Marco in whispers.

“Why are you here again, Mr. Kirstein?” Armin sighed. The man was a treat to the eyes but Armin wondered how someone could hurt themselves so much.

“Oh, hey, Dr. Arlert, listen, can you give me some medicine and patch me up?” He asked, lifting his shirt. There was a small cut there.

Armin pretended not to notice Jean's amazing abs. He also pretended not to notice the fireman pants he wore. Seeing that gorgeous, sexy and charismatic man in front of him wearing those clothes after Armin received that damn calendar was _not_ helping his professionalism _at all_.

“What happened here?” Armin said, taking a look at the small cut on the side of Jean's body.

“Nothing. I was rushing out of a building without my coat and I scrapped on a nail. They're just worried about infections, you know.”

“Okay, I see. It's quite the small injury so I'll give you some antibiotic for any possible infection, patch you up and let you go, okay?”

“Great!” Said Jean.

“Lay down, please.” Armin said, taking the gauze and the surgical tape.

Jean lay down and lifted his shirt a little more than necessary. If Armin doubted his own professionalism once, he was sure of it now, because looking at that body and not licking it required _a lot_ of self-restraint.

“Now tell me something, aren't firemen supposed to be  _wearing_ their coats inside of a burning building?”

“Well, yeah...” Jean turned his head, looking the other way.

“He took it off to put on the victim. She was pretty hurt.” Marco said.

“Oh, wow. That's very brave.” Armin admitted.

“It's nothing, just doing my job.” Armin could swear he saw a slight blush in Jean's face as Jean glared at Marco.

“There, we're done. Take care, okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Now let's go set you free, Mr. Fireman.” Armin smiled.

“I'll go to the bathroom while you two finish the paper work.” Marco said and Jean smirked at him.

Armin took of his gloves, threw them away and turned back to Jean, to find the man so close Armin might accidentally touch him just by moving. Jean's mouth was opened, as if he was about to say something, but he did not.

“Huh, sorry.” Jean said, stepping away with an instrument in his hand. “W-What's this?”

Armin did not know. Armin did not even know his own name at that point. The air around him felt warm and his body was having about twenty different reactions at once.

“It's-It's a... It's a-huh, an auroscope. Y-Y-You use it to-huh examine the inside of the ear.” Armin said.

“Oh, cool. Cool.” Jean put it back, stepping away. “So, shall we?”

Jean nonchalantly said and headed to the door. Armin's legs still tried to find their balance as they went to the reception where Armin — whose heart still beating at an alarmingly fast rate — discharged Jean.

“Okay, all set. Have a good night.” Armin said.

“Actually, doctor... Mind telling me when you finish your shift?” Jean asked.

_Wait, what?_

“I-... What?” Armin asked.

“I was just wondering if you'd like to go out sometime.” Armin felt trapped, but he was not sure if that was entirely a bad thing at the moment.

“Y-You mean...” Armin was blushing hard, his hands sweating a bit.

“If you're interested.” Jean bit his lower lip, his face so close Armin could only see those gorgeous and hypnotic hazel eyes.

“O-Okay.” It was all he could say.

“Great! Here.” Jean smiled and took a paper from his pocket, handing it over to Armin. His cheeks were slightly flushed. “Give me a call.”

Jean waited for Armin to take the paper and left. Armin kept still, leaning against the reception desk for another three minutes until he was beeped. He put the paper Jean had given him in his pocket and tried to ignore his shaking legs as he moved on to his next patient.

 

\----------------------

 

After his shift, Armin went home. He stared at the paper he had taken out of his pants and stared at it for a moment. Not being able to call the number, he decided to take a long shower.

Armin was kind and sweet but commitment was something that made his body freeze in fear. His parents were so overprotective that just the idea of having a relationship to someone felt like an incarceration sentence. He almost never dated, simply because the idea of losing his freedom terrified him. Jean seemed like a great guy, but was he the one Armin wanted to spend the rest of his life with? 

After procrastinating for hours, Armin sat on his bed, taking a deep breath. He was insecure about calling Jean, so he decided to let the phone ring three times and three times only. If Jean never picked up, it was not meant to be.

 _That's all it is. A single date. No need to get nervous._ He thought.

One ring.

_Okay, it's ringing._

Two rings.

_Maybe he's not that interested._

“Hello?”

_SHIT!_

Armin instinctively hung up. He could not. Armin saw the only two options ahead of him: Dumping Jean at some point, having to see his heartbroken expression as Armin fought to say the words. It was too cruel and difficult for him.

Or the second option, which was marriage. He pictured himself walking down the aisle, Jean waiting for him there, beautiful, wonderful even, waiting with a pair of handcuffs with Armin's name on it.

Armin took a deep breath, headed to the kitchen and drank a glass of water. He went back to his room and lay on his creaky old bed, to watch some TV. He was focused on the show when his phone rang. As of habit, since Eren called him almost everyday, he picked up.

“Hello?”

“Dr. Arlert?”

_Shit._

“M-Mr. Kirstein?” Armin sat on the bed and turned off the TV.

“Huh-I think you called, but I got disconnected.” Jean said.

“How did you get my number?” Armin sounded much more rude than he had hoped for and he hated himself for it.

“Well, you called me on my cellphone, so your number was recorded.”

“Oh, of course.” Armin sighed.

“Listen, it's fine if you don't wanna go out. Sorry if I was too forward.” Jean sounded a little disappointed.

“No! No, it's not your fault, really. I-,” Armin hesitated. “I'm interested too. That's why I called. Maybe we could meet on Friday?”

Armin needed a couple days to get mentally ready.

“Great!” Jean said, a little louder than Armin expected. “Oh, shit, I can't. Friday is my shift again. Would tomorrow be okay?”

“S-Sure.” Armin held back a sigh and smiled softly.

“Great. You take the night's shift, right?”

“Yes.”

“Would dinner, at eight be a good time for you? Too early? Too late?”

“Sorry, my job starts at eight.” Armin said. “Could we schedule it for six?”

“Of course! Alright, then. Tomorrow at six. It's a date.” Jean said and went silent for a moment. “I'm looking forward to seeing you. Well, I know the day is just about to start but... _Good night._ ”

Armin was not sure if Jean had said it the way he did on purpose or not, but it definitely sent a shiver up Armin's spine, making him scratch the back of his neck.

“G-Good night.” Armin replied.

They hung up, but Jean's voice kept echoing in Armin's head. _“Good night.”_. Armin let out a long sigh and forced himself to sleep. He would need some energy the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone!  
> I'm very sorry I couldn't post this in August. I basically had to rewrite this whole chapter because I was really unhappy with the way it had turned out, so I decided to finish another story I had before focusing on this one 100%! (*´∀｀*)و  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Armin did not wake up to have lunch with anyone the next day. He felt like he deserved – and above all, _needed_  – a good rest before his date. The one he had recklessly rushed into. With the ridiculously hot fireman, who Armin could never dream of having by his side.

Trying to keep this thoughts away from his intricate little mind, he spent most of his day sleeping. He woke up around four in the afternoon – much later than usual – and decided to find something to eat.

After a thorough investigation on his fridge, Armin realized he had some cheeze to make a grilled cheeze sandwich. For now it would do. 

As he ate, he received a call from Eren.

“Hey, Armin. Wanna have dinner? I can grab something for you on the way.” Eren said.

Armin checked the clock. Eren was probably leaving work.

“I can't today, sorry.”

“Oh, okay.” Eren was not necessarily hurt, but Armin could sense he had found it strange. “What are you doing?”

“I-huh-...I have a date.” Armin admitted.

Eren went silent. Armin was not one to date much, and when he did Eren would usually know who had caught his interest beforehand. But things were so sudden and out of Armin's comfort zone he did not see it coming. Not enough to tell his friends.

“A date? With who?” Eren asked.

“A guy. He was a patient, but he's not anymore. It's fine.”

“But who _is_ this guy?” Eren was not famous for understanding the concept of 'let go'.

“Eren, it's okay. You don't need to worry. I don't even think this is going anywhere. I mean, I don't know. I'm just... Interested.”

“Okay.” Eren eventually _did_ let go, but his tone was not a satisfied one yet. “If you need anything, lemme know.”

“Will do. Maybe we can have lunch tomorrow.” Armin said.

“Sure. I'll give you a call?” Eren asked.

“Sounds great. See you.”

Armin sighed and hung up. Eren's insistency served only to make him more nervous. Still, he changed and checked himself on the mirror before leaving the house.

 

\----------------------

 

Armin got to the restaurant five minutes early. Jean was five minutes late. He arrived with a simply wave of his hand and no apology. Armin made the choice of not commenting anything on that.

They entered the restaurant, sat down and ordered their drinks before looking at the menu. Jean scratched the back of his neck as he stared at the menu and Armin discretly took deep breaths. They both were clearly a little nervous, trying to find topics to discuss. Work solved that problem.

“So, you work for twelve hours, every other day?” Jean asked.

“Yes. That's right.” Armin said.

“Aren't you tired, then?” Jean asked, sounding concerned.

“Not really. I slept well and all day.” Armin smiled. “What about you?”

“I did absolutely nothing today.” Jean chuckled. Armin simply wondered how he could be late if he didn't even work. “I work twenty four, rest forty eight.”

“Twenty four hours a day!?” Armin widened his eyes as the waiter brought their drinks.

“Yeah, everyone gets that reaction.” 

Jean chuckled warmly, tilting his face to the side. Armin focused on his perfect jawline for a second before remembering the conversation.

“Wow. Now, _that_ must be exhausting.” Armin commented.

“It is, sometimes.” Jean admitted.

“And what do you do? Drive the truck, use the hose, play with the dalmatian...?” Armin smiled, taking a sip from his drink.

Jean laughed.

“None of the above. Well, I do play with the dalmatian once in a while, though. I actually work on the rescues, so I'm basically the guy that goes into the building and carries people out.”

Armin's jaw fell on its own and drink slipped out of it. He pushed himself away from the table, hiding his mouth with one hand, putting his drink down with the other. Jean reached for a napkin and handed it over, so Armin could clean himself up.

“I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.” Armin could feel his whole face burning as he tried to clean his clothes.

This was ridiculous. At that point, Armin was sure Ymir had sent Jean to mess with him. Jean was like a reunion of all of Armin's fantasies, in a single man. A tall, gorgeous, sexy fireman whose job was to carry people out of buildings. Ymir had joked about "putting out the fire", but Jean was doing exactly the opposite, making Armins heart and body burn as fast as wildfire.

“Are you okay?” Jean asked.

“Do you, by any chance, know Ymir?” Armin asked.

“Who? No, I don't know any Ymir. Why?” Jean sounded too confused to be lying.

“No reason. Huh, please continue.” Armin requested, recomposing himself.

“Huh, okay, there's not much to tell. I work in squad. To put it simply, we rescue people. From any sort of situation they get themselves into. The guys from the truck are the typical firefighter stereotypes. They are the ones in the cool truck, with the hoses and ladders.” Jean explained.

Jean kept talking, giving Armin a lot of useful information and even some background on how a firehouse worked. But Armin's mind was trapped into the thought of Jean getting out of a burning building, dirty and sweaty, carrying Armin, who looked up at Jean's gorgeous jawline with the innocent eyes of a – now safe – victim.

Armin had never been more grateful for constricting underwear in his life.

 

\----------------------

 

Jean walked Armin to the bus stop. As it turned out, Jean's house was in the same direction, so it was no trouble. They did not talk much as they got there. The old lady waiting for her bus did that for them. She left a few minutes later and Armin was about to talk again.

“So, do y-” Armin started.

“Can I kiss you?” Jean blurted out, his cheeks flushed under the dim light of the bus stop.

“I-huh...” Armin was not sure. His heart said yes, but his mind screamed no.

“Sorry, I just really want to. It's okay to say no, I won't be upset.” Jean reassured him.

“Why?” Armin asked.

“What do you mean?” Jean asked.

“I mean, does this mean you want to... Start a relationship?” Armin hesitated.

“Is that a requirement?” Jean asked. “Because I wasn't thinking that far ahead, to be honest. I just really felt like kissing you.”

Armin was grateful to that. He thought for a moment if this was the right thing to do, but at that point he wanted nothing more than to kiss Jean. There was not even anyone nearby who could catch them in the act.

“In that case, I think it's okay.” Armin said in a whisper.

Jean scooted over, placing one arm around Armin's waist to pull him closer. Armin did nothing but allow it. Jean gently kissed him and Armin finally moved, to touch Jean's face.

That simple gesture seemed to have given Jean some sort of consent, making him wrap both arms around Armin's waist, increasing the intensity of the kiss. For a single second it scared Armin, but Jean's kiss was so wonderful he forgot to be surprised.

Armin was lost in the warmth of Jean's tongue on his when Jean's lips dodged his mouth, kissing their way down Armin's neck.

This was getting out of hand. Armin did not expect to end his night by heavily making out with this man on a bus stop. Yet, there he was, sighing, with closed eyes and allowing Jean to suck on his neck as his own delicate fingers explored the spikiness of Jean's hair.

They let go of each other as they noticed people passing. A bus had arrived and absolutely everyone inside it was staring at them. The couple was ridiculously flushed, breathing heavily, sitting as far as possible from each other a second later.

The bus was about to leave when Armin noticed it was _his_ bus. Remembering it was his last chance to get to the hospital in time, Armin rushed inside, simply apologizing as Jean got up. People on the bus tried to avert their eyes, but Armin could feel their looks burning the back of his head as he passed by. He sat on the last seat, throwing his head back on the seat and sighing.

 

\----------------------

 

It took around ten minutes to get to work. Armin headed to the changing room, noticing the same reaction from everyone he met on the way: A brief greeting, either followed or interrupted by widened eyes. Armin assumed his cheeks were still flushed, which being embarrassed about was not exactly helping.

Krista was finishing changing into her uniform as Armin walked into the dressing room.

“Hey, Ar-” Krista widened her eyes and pulled him to a corner. “What's that on your neck!?”

“W-What? My neck?” Armin blushed and covered his neck with his hands, remembering Jean sucking on it a few minutes earlier.

Krista took a mirror out of the tiny purse inside her locker and showed it to him. There it was. The clear mark of a hickey, right on Armin's neck.

“Oh my God. What am I going to do? I can't work like this!” Armin said, rubbing the mark with his sleeve.

“Stop that! Let me help.”

Krista took some make-up from her purse (Armin wondered if there was a black hole in there for her to be able to fit so much crap.) and Armin let her work on it for one or two minutes.

“I think this will be fine.” Krista said, taking a step back to analyze her work.

“Thank you, Krista. Thank you so much. You really can't see it, right?”

“No, I think it's fine. But tell me, who did this?” Krista asked, smirking. “Was it the fireman?”

“Wha-How do you even know about him?” Armin asked, changing.

“Ymir mentioned you were into him, I saw you when he was here last time, and Eren called me to ask if I knew about your date. I simply connected the dots.”

“Does anyone in our group of friends understand the concept of 'privacy'?”Armin asked, flushed.

“So, tell me, how was it?” Kirsta was way too excited in Armin's opinion.

“It was terrible! This was given to me on a bus stop! This is unacceptable! I am a doctor, I should be an example to society. I should not be letting some random guy ravish me in a bus stop just because he's... The way he is.”

“You mean a fireman.”

“I _do not_ mean a fireman!” Armin almost shouted. “Don't you have someone to attend or...?”

Armin flimsy waved around and Krista laughed, but said nothing. She left and Armin pressed his forehead against the cold locker. He took a deep breath, focusing on calming down. He still had twelve hours of Krista's questions ahead of him.

 

\----------------------

 

Armin checked his phone the very second his shift ended. He hoped to see a message from Jean and it hurt to see there was none. He sighed and went home before Krista could find him again.

After his shower, he stared at the bathroom mirror. The mark Jean had left was deep blue against his pale skin. Armin felt warm remembering the moment Jean had left it there. He went to bed before his imagination took over.

Except his imagination was no less vivid under his sheets. Armin tried many, many times to get Jean of his mind. He tried to sleep, to imagine someone else, but it was all in vain. This time, mind had lost against body.

 

\----------------------

 

Armin woke up for his lunch with Eren feeling awful. He was tired from working all night, he felt humiliated for having allowed his body to speak louder than his mind and he still had a lot of explaining to do.

He checked his phone as he waited for Eren but there were no messages from Jean. His heart hurt again, but it was probably for the best.

As soon as Armin put his phone down, Eren entered Armin's apartment using the spare key he owned.

“Hey, sorry I'm late.” Eren said.

“Good morning, how are you?” Armin rose from the couch, dropping his phone on it and headed towards the dinner table.

Eren placed the food on the table and gave Armin a quick hug before they sat across each other. The food was equally distributed and they were eating.

“So,” Eren nonchalantly started. “How was your date last night?”

“I-I don't know.” Armin said.

It was true. He did not know. He had gone out with this gorgeous man, hoping to end everything that same night. He came home with a hickey, a desperate need to check his phone every five minutes and an apparently uncontrollable libido. Nothing had gone as he expected and it scared him.

“What do you mean? Did something happen?” Eren looked up and widened his eyes. “What's that on your neck!?”

Eren took so long to notice it, Armin himself forgot about the mark. He covered it with his hand, trying to get away from Eren, who had gotten up from his chair and approached quickly.

“Nothing. Eren. Eren, let it go!” Armin asked but his words had no effect.

“No! Did he hurt you? Lemme see!”

Eren was much stronger than Armin. He quickly pulled Armin's hand away and blushed.

“Oh.” Eren let out. “Did you fuck?”

“No! Why does everyone keep asking me that!?” Armin was annoyed.

“Who is 'everyone'? And what happened to you?” Eren sat back down on his chair.

“Nothing! Listen, I'm not seeing him again, alright?” Armin said, trying use his hair to hide the mark.

“Why not?” Eren asked, going back to eat some of his food.

Armin was baffled. Where could he even begin?

“Because I can't control myself. Because I'm a pathetic pervert, that's going to end up letting this man do anything to me because of a stupid fetish!” Armin blurted out everything he had been feeling for the past twenty hours.

“Is that all? Is the fetish the _only_ reason you wanna go out with him?” Eren asked.

Armin sighed. He was not sure, but he felt like his answer should be "no". Jean was driving him crazy, but it was nothing like the usual. It was not like seeing a movie or a stupid calendar. Jean was different. Of course his profession made him sexier, but Armin had met Marco and he had absolutely no effect on him. Everything about Jean got him excited. His eyes, his lips, his voice... Jean's voice echoed in Armin's head again. “Good night.” Armin sighed.

“I don't know.” Armin said.

“Look, I don't think you're in this out of fetish. But you're the one who's gotta decide. Anyway, maybe you shouldn't think about it too much. You don't need to marry this guy, just enjoy your time with him, if that's what you want.”

Armin sighed and smiled. Eren was not the most sensitive at all times, but he was a good friend and would always try to show Armin a new point of view from his problems. Armin promised he would think about it and they finished their lunch.

 

\----------------------

 

At night, around seven o'clock, Armin decided to text Jean. He spent the whole day thinking about what to say, yet he could not say it via text. He typed “If you're not busy, could we meet today for a talk?” and pressed send before putting his phone away and going to work.

 

\----------------------

 

Armin's shift ended and he rushed to check his phone. There were no messages. He felt like his heart was slowly shrinking inside his chest with every lack of notifications on his screen.

Of course Jean would no longer be interested. Armin had left without saying a word and disappeared for a whole day. Armin closed his locker, threw his backpack on his shoulder, said goodbye to his co-workers and left the hospital.

Armin never expected to see Jean standing there, waiting for him. Jean approached. His expression was serious.

“Hey.” Jean said.

“Jean. Hey. I'm glad you came.” Armin said, his heart beating fast inside his chest.

“Are you?” Jean asked and Armin felt guilty.

“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Can we talk? Maybe in the park?” Armin squeezed the strap of his backpack.

Jean said nothing for a while. He turned his face to the side, averting Armin's eyes and sighed, leaving with a brief “Come on.”. Armin rushed to his side.

They said nothing on the way to the park. They sat on a bench and Armin tried to find the words. He wanted to explain to Jean how he felt, but he was embarrassed and confused. He tried to put his thoughts in order, to put it in words next.

“Look, if you're not interested in me, it's fine.” Jean said first. “I asked for a kiss and you allowed it. If you've changed your mind after it, it's fine too. But don't lead me on and do nothing. Just tell me if you're not-”

“That's not it!” Armin interrupted. Jean's words hurt, but he knew it was his own fault. “I am interested, but– I don't know why. I don't know how I feel about you. When you're around–.”  
Armin stopped for a moment. He was not ready to tell Jean about his feelings yet.

“I don't want a relationship at this moment. But I also don't want you to go. So, in the end, I don't know what to do.” Armin finished and waited for an answer.

“Then what do you want from me? Do you want to stay friends?” Jean asked, looking at Armin.

“No.” Armin said, feeling his cheeks burning. “I can't be just friends with you.”

“Then do you want to just have sex?” Jean asked.

“No! No, no! No sex yet!” Armin blushed harder.

Casual sex with strangers had never been his thing and if Jean could do what he did to him with a simple kiss, Armin could only imagine what sex would do to him.

“Then what exactly do you want?” Jean was starting to get irritated.

“I don't know! I'm sorry.” Armin pressed his palms against his eyelids, leaning against the bench.

Jean sighed.

“Okay, so, how about this: We go out whenever we want. We can kiss and do whatever feels right. Just get to know each other. No commitment, no attachment, just enjoying each other's company.” Jean suggested.

“That-That sounds good. Very good.” Armin smiled at him. “Is that really okay with you?”

“Armin, I never expected anything other than that. I just wanted to get to know you and see where this goes. Even if it leads nowhere.” Jean said, leaning forward and supporting his arms on his knees.

Armin touched Jean's face, but this time Jean kept still, simply closing his eyes. Armin took a deep breath and lowered himself to place a gentle, chaste kisses to Jean's lips. Jean rose his upper body, guiding Armin along with him.

Jean held back for a long while before licking Armin's lips, asking for entrance. Armin tensed up and hesitated, but allowed it, losing himself in the kiss. His fingers slid into Jean's hair, stroking it.

The kiss was broken when they started to get dizzy from the lack of oxygen. Their faces were still just inches away, so Armin placed another gentle kiss to Jean's lips.

“I think I'm gonna go now.” Jean said.

“What? Why?” Armin widened his eyes.

“I just got out of a twenty four hour shift. I'm exhausted.” Jean laughed.

“Oh.” Jean'd comment made Armin remember his own fatigue. “Yes, we should probably go home.”

“Yeah.” Jean got up, heading to the park entrance. “So, can I give you a call?”

Armin smiled, his cheeks flushed.

“Sure.” He replied.

With another quick kiss, they went their separate ways. Against all his instincts, Armin glanced back and he could see Jean's head turning back at him. Like young children, they chuckled and faced forward again, heading each to their own houses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


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